Live Review: Press Club - New Cross Inn, London 10/07/2025
On a sweltering night in New Cross Inn, Australian punk rockers Press Club deliver a memorable final night of their UK headlining run with crowd-surfing, moshing and an ode to all the ones [they] love.
With temperatures reaching over 30 degrees this week in London and Billie Eilish being in town for her six night residency at the 02, it’s impressive that New Cross Inn got such a good crowd for Press Club the night before they head down to 2000 Trees in Cheltenham. By the time the Australian punk rockers come on stage to tour their new album To All The Ones I Love, a kind of Sprints-esque, searing punk record that encourages moshing and crowd-surfing with hints of edgy, doomier shoegaze and a heavier sound, it’s packed. The audience is ready for a show that was worth the band travelling to the other side of the world for.
First up, it’s London natives Jay Vee and the Cardinal Sins – who are aware they have the early slot and are aware New Cross Inn isn’t as packed as it’ll be later. They joke that they’re Press Club and there will be no refunds – it’s a punk show so nothing is off the table, shots are fired at the everyday grind of work in Sloth “If you can’t stand the heat… you best get out of the warehouse” – their lyrics are catchy and with an air of witty sarcasm to them. It’s garage punk with touch of rock and roll and surf rock, making them the perfect counterpart to the louder Press Club.
Second act on the bill is Tarmac; who like Press Club, are also 2,000 Trees bound. Their dirgey, high-octane sound has made them a fixture at gigs like The Underworld in Camden, and from the sound of things – already have a loyal fanbase. Their tracks include self-doubt and rebellion and personal struggle – it feels raw, authentic and matched with a kind of abrasiveness that you need to get a mosh going. Konnichiwa is a highlight – searingly brutal and gets the fans on board instantly.
Then it’s time for Press Club and boy does frontwoman Natalie Foster deliver. They’re a 2000 Trees regular act now; a returning feature. Their new album To All The Ones I Love is the centrepiece of this tour, and the fans know the lyrics already. It’s Foster ability to command her vocals live that make the crowd hyped up and ramped up from day one – keeping teasing the crowd that this is the one; and by the end, she’s thrown herself headlong into the pit and is carried around, no mean feat given the heat. She even has time to climb up on top of the New Cross Inn bar, a prerequisite for any punk show, and make use of its backdrop for I Am Everything, a raw look at the human psyche and its condition. The conflict between light and darkness is so effective here – the back and forth at the start of the show showcases Press Club’s variety, they’re dipping into shoegaze at times with a challenge of fortitude and resistance to it all. It’s a gentle beat before the titular track comes in – To All The Ones I Love, and the crowd are up in arms – it’s catchy, punky – and personal, an ode to memories gone by and the times that have come before. “I don’t say it enough, don’t call when you need it,” is Forster allowing her regrets to come out on stage.
Then it’s time to dip back to 2022 album Endless Notion for Cancelled, anxious and darker post-punk that suits Press Club and Forster perfectly. “Who said I can’t do this better… who says I can’t live forever?” sees her tackle aging headlong at 30, a well-travelled path for punk but given a unique, updated feel from the frontwoman. It’s weathered and heartbroken but fresh and new at the same time – energetic and lively enough. The crowd, once again, know the lyrics by heart. It’s a loyal fandom Press Club have here, and they know how to delight their audience everytime they come to the UK. It isn’t long before we get to their instant classic that saw them emerge on the scene in 2017 with Headwreck, their loose, intense performance ramps up a gear. It’s a switch into adolescent emotion present with vulnerability in a relationship with a guy that doesn’t respect you – instantly catchy and instantly sing-alongable to. In short it’s a racket in the best way possible.
If you aren’t in love with Press Club by now you’re not doing your job properly. The gig continues and the tension wraps up – Untitled Wildlife is a topical choice in this heat, poking at the climate crisis and the burning world around them: “This sunburnt country’s getting burnt to the ground.” Released in 2022 it’s only more relevant now – searingly precise and there are plenty of topical anthems here. It feels like no time at all has passed by the second half of the set; a telltale sign of a good band that you wish they were sticking around for longer especially when they have the songs and the stage presence to do so despite employing fifteen songs – the crowd are begging for an encore. Press Club oblige after the brilliantly pulpy Separate Houses and Suburbia. How relevant is “I keep on pretending that I am getting better?” – so, so much. Foster’s vulnerability is passionately evident.
Four credited albums to their name now and a passion for touring, Press Club are a force to be reckoned with. Their set is chaotic, punchy, lively and excellent – Natalie Foster commands the crowd the same way figures like Amy Taylor and Joe Talbot have been able to. The band should be bigger and it’s criminal that they’re not – yet they know how to make the most out of New Cross Inn’s setting. To All The Ones That I Love is one of the strongest albums of the year so far – and live the band ramp things up a notch to a perfect level.
Words by Miles Milton-Jefferies
